In Python 2, you don't need to talk about byte strings explicitly, but by using them, you can make it very clear as to whether you're using bytes or characters.

I believe I'm having some trouble with data type conversions. Currently I have an encrypted string stored in a database where the database column is of type bytea. When I fetch the record, Python ...

So I have a program in Python for use on a Linux machine that's dealing with binary data flowing through what may be a Linux FIFO.I'm using Avinash Kak's BitVector to modify the data as it goes ...